Greg Lestrade
Skills + Detective: There are many skills that go in hand with being a detective. First off (and this can't really be considered a skill, but) you've got to have a taste for donuts. The jokes never end and a good dollop of patience will go a long way. That leads to leadership, people and communication skills. The ability to stay outside of a situation and aware of the surroundings. Both a keen mind and observant eyes come in handy. Basic defense knowledge, dexterity and the ability to fire a gun don't hurt, either. '- Workaholic:' His career has taken every bit of personal life he's ever thought about having and torn it to shreds. It has since blown away in the wind, never to be seen again. Being an only child, Greg has always felt responsible for his folks. He guesses that's where his need to perform came from: proving that he was worthy of his name and his parents affection. + Compassionate: From there is just became habit until he saw the pain and real need of the families he was working with. Now he does it for their sake. He's got a bit heart, as much as he covers it with gruff and sarcasm. '- Regulations:' Tell Greg to go by the book and he'll probably throw it at you. What matters to him is getting the job done and the greatest source of stress (outside of Sherlock) is the amount of paperwork his job requires on a daily basis. He understands the place of law, however, and will abide as long as his morals aren't compromised in the process. + Composure: He plays the prefect strong Detective even in the most gruesome and dire or circumstance. Everyone knows its DI Lestrade you turn to if you have particularly heartbreaking news to break to people. '- Alcohol:' All that stress takes it toll on a man and let's admit: Greg's not getting any younger. While he doesn't fancy himself addicted by a long shot, its no secret that Greg likes the sauce a little bit. For him, relaxing with a few blokes from work in a pub and watching a good game is one of the very best ways to spend free time. Personality Greg is just an ordinary sort of bloke, but like most people he possesses the potential for greatness. A small seed, buried deep within the heart of his humanity; and when the pressure was on, it will take hold and bloom into magnificence. When the heat is on, Greg has proven himself a man of quick thinking, ingenuity and daring bravery. In even the most grave of situations, Greg is able to keep his cool and act accordingly. Despite this though, he isn't one for much talking, often stumbling over words should be caught off guard. This leads him to deflecting most, if not all, situations with sarcasm. He lacks a filter sometimes that tells him when something is appropriate. He is a man of compassion first and foremost; this is evidenced by his actions, which are always from his heart and reflexively heroic. Appearance A fox of the silver variety, Greg stands at an impressive 5' 11" (1.80 m) and has a moderately stocky build. His hair is short and long since gone grey (a fatal cocktail of genetics and stress) but both only serve to add to his overall appeal. His dress is usually plain, consisting of neutral tones and comfortable cloth, typically of a decent quality. Lestrade holds himself with a careful air; always ready to react to the danger constantly present with his profession while exuding confidence that enforces his well-earned authority. However, when in unfamiliar or uncomfortable settings and situations he will shuffle his feet, eager to keep himself (and the situation) moving forward. Relationships History Greg Lestrade is a Detective Inspector for the Metropolitan Police Service and has been working for them for over twenty years now. But let's go back to the start, though I'm not making any promises, its all pretty boring and rather average. He was born the only child to his parents Tobias and Martha Lestrade in 1970; they were a middle class family and lived a middle class life. He attended the local public school until his teenage years, after which he was enrolled in a private boys' academy (to 'focus on his studies'). There he excelled socially and was a star of the football team. In the academic sense, he was fairly average and it would only be in his final year that he discovered a knack for detective work. He graduated with decent marks and straight out enrolled in the police academy. Straight off, he was noticed as a pupil with great potential. After working in several branches he learned two things: he hated paperwork and loved a good murder. He didn't like that people had died, of course, but he loved the mystery and adrenaline involved. It was something he could easily envision himself pursuring and so he did. Between his long hours at the Yard and games for the local football team, Greg never had a lot of personal time. One evening after a difficult victory, he met a woman named Victoria and on a bet, asked her on a date. She was a gorgeous and fresh from university looking to start her own marketing firm. They were both of them workaholics, neither of them focused on family., but it there someone to sleep next to at night. Three years, two breakups and an affair later saw them tying the knot. A year later he made detective sergeant; his hours and workload changed and increased due to the promotion. He worked and worked - for years it seemed thats all he did. He quit the football league, neglected his friends and missed his twelf wedding anniversary. Like many on the force, Greg's personal life often feels the strain of his profession. The long hours and typically gruesome nature of his particular division have recently all but destroyed his marriage. In this particular area, he has decided that it is probably best if he stayed married to his work for a while. One day he looked in the mirror and noticed his hair had gone grey and there were definitely lines on his face he'd never seen before. But still, he shaved with a cheap plastic razor and tightened his tie the same way he had for nearly two decades. It was on that day, seemingly like all the rest, that Detective Inspector Wiggins decided to retire. With a whole lot of work and a little bit of luck, he was asked to take his position as Detective Inspector, head of the homicide division. While he's no Sherlock Holmes, Greg is a very good detective in his own right (they didn't give him the job for nothing, you know). His first week on the job? He comes across Sherlock Holmes. His life since has been pretty exciting and not what anyone would call average. Together they've worked on several interesting cases. Prominant ones include the unsettling serial suicides, the terrorism of Jim Moriarty and the mysterious H.O.U.N.D.S. experiments. He was pulled from his reality and into Pandora 5 minutes after he confirmed the identity of the body that fell from St. Barts' roof as Sherlock Holmes. Pandora History